— Ch. 1 · Hesiod's Five Ages Framework —
Ages of Man.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The Greek poet Hesiod wrote his poem Works and Days between 750 and 650 BC. Lines 109 through 201 of that text describe five distinct ages of humanity. The first age was the Golden Age, which fell under the rule of Cronus. Immortals living on Olympus created these people. Peace and harmony prevailed during this time. Earth provided food in abundance without human labor. These humans lived to a very old age while keeping a youthful appearance. They eventually died peacefully. The second age was the Silver Age, which followed under Zeus. Men in this era lived for one hundred years under their mothers' dominion. They spent only a short time as grown adults. Strife existed among them during those brief adult years. Zeus destroyed them because they refused to worship the gods. After death, these humans became blessed spirits of the underworld.
Ovid's Roman Adaptation
Roman poet Ovid published Book 1.89, 150 of Metamorphoses in the 1st century AD. His account describes four ages instead of five. He omitted the Heroic Age entirely from his version. Innocence and justice defined the Golden Age in Ovid's telling. Men did not suffer during this period. People had no knowledge of navigation or agriculture. They collected food that simply fell from trees. Jupiter introduced seasons after Saturn was driven into Tartarus. This change taught men the art of agriculture. They began to inhabit houses during the Silver Age. Warfare characterized the Bronze Age, but impiety did not. Truth, modesty, and loyalty disappeared completely in the Iron Age. Astraea, goddess of justice, left Earth bathed in slaughter. Ovid considered the Iron Age to be in the past rather than his own time.Metallic Symbolism And Decline
Hesiod described metals with successively decreasing value yet increasing hardness. The progression moved from gold down through silver, bronze, and iron. Gold represented peace and abundance in the first age. Silver marked a decline where men lived under maternal rule. Bronze signified hardened toughness and passion for war. Zeus created these humans out of ash tree wood. Their armor and tools were forged from bronze. Violence led to their destruction without leaving named spirits. Iron symbolized toil, misery, and social breakdown. Children dishonored parents while brothers fought each other. The social contract between guest and host vanished. Might made right as bad men used lies to appear good. At the height of this age, no one felt shame at wrongdoing. Babies would eventually be born with gray hair when Zeus ended this era.